


College Parties Don't Suck

by Ryumaru



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 18:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2478488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryumaru/pseuds/Ryumaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A simple college AU one-shot, where Karkat people-watches at a party thrown by Eridan while everyone else has a good time. Very general, with some ships involved but they're not the focus. Takes place on a unified Alternia/Earth where trolls and humans co-exist. I might expand on this, if more ideas strike me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	College Parties Don't Suck

All in all, Karkat thought, the party could have been a hell of a lot worse. 

Sure, Eridan was kind of a douche, but he did know how to throw a party. It hadn't even devolved into the massively-drunken antics that most college parties of this size did, though Equius being present probably had something to do with that. The burly troll was a good deterrent for troublemakers. In fact, campus security suspected that incidents had actually decreased since his acceptance. 

Currently, the troll was nursing a cheap beer and wondering where Nepeta was. Normally she and her moirail were inseperable, but apparently she had insisted that he go on ahead. She was probably finishing a paper for one of her psychology classes. Either that or writing fanfiction. 

Karkat took another sip, letting the brew sit on his tongue for a moment before swallowing. It wasn't good, but he still liked it. He wondered who had brought it. Probably one of the random drop-ins. Eridan himself wouldn't have bought anything this bad, and Feferi never bought alcohol, at least not the kind that came in six-packs. It could have been Gamzee, but he was more likely to bring a case of Faygo. 

He got his answer when he saw John carrying another of the same bottle, his already half-empty. That explained it; Egbert wasn't the brightest or the owner of the biggest wallet, but he tried. Karkat caught his friend's eye and waved him over with a drinking man's salute. 

It was kind of strange, the troll thought. He really did like seeing Egbert's face light up upon seeing him. It was like being reminded that he mattered. Eventually, he told himself, he'd ask the human to actually be his official moirail. For now, he'd settle for regular human friendship. 

“Hi Karkat!” said John. “How've you been?”

“Eh. Same as ever. Still can't pick a fucking major. And shut up,” he added, seeing the wiggle in John's eyebrows start. “That joke wasn't funny the first time.”

“Pff, fine. Seriously, though, you probably should pick something. Soon.”

“Tell me about it when I'm _not_ supposed to be forgetting about my problems, assmunch.”

“Fair enough!” John took another swig of his beer and grinned. 

“So how are things in the wonderful world of biology?”

“Pretty good, actually! I got into the same biochem class as Feferi, so I've got a bit of an edge there.”

“Hm. Speaking of the junior empress, where is she? I thought she'd be front and center here.” 

“She said something about going to pick up Terezi and Vriska.”

“Hmph.”

The two stood at the wall in silence for a moment, enjoying the low rumble of the guests. A rather tipsy Dave (though only people who knew him well would be able to tell) sidled up. 

“Sup,” he mumbled. 

“Hey,” the two responded. 

“You guys know where Terezi is?”

“Feferi's picking her up,” said Karkat, gritting his teeth slightly. 

“Sweet. Can't wait to get my mack on with the mad justice lady.”

The fact that Dave and Terezi were indeed dating was still something of a thorn in Karkat's side. It could have been him waiting eagerly for Terezi to arrive, but something had gone wrong in their relationship. Still....

Karkat sighed inwardly. He couldn't hate Dave. His calmness and deadpan sense of humor were just the right thing to balance her manic drive. They complemented each other really well. It still hurt.

John, as perceptive as ever, nudged his troll friend. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just peachy.” Karkat bought himself time by taking a swig and swishing it over his tongue. “Just-”

“Relax bro,” said Dave. “I know.” He put a hand on Karkat's shoulder – normally a huge violation of Karkat's “touch me and I'll rip your goddamn hand off and cram it up your nook so far you have to open your protein chute to give people the finger” rule, but he let it slide based on Dave's current state of inebriation. “'s not like you wanna be playing second fiddle to my cello and bass duet with Terezi but you didn't make it to the callback, so I'mma play as hard as I can for you. In your name. All that shit. They'll be wondering what makes such a good duo and I'll tell them all that I'm doing it for you. So everyone knows you're playing Cyrano and Juliet.” 

“Strider,” Karkat said as flatly as he could manage. “You are making absolutely zero goddamn sense.”

“Maybe to normal peeps, but you an' me? We got a _connection_ K-bro. You know what I'm sayin' and I know what you're sayin' and we don't have to say anythin'.” 

Karkat studied Dave's face. Even despite his inebriation, he was as inscrutable as ever. The troll couldn't tell if he was making another shitty attempt at being ironic, if he really was that drunk, or some combination of both. He stared at Dave for a while before eventually giving up and turning back to John.

“Don't look at me. I didn't drive him here.” John held up his hands defensively. 

“'s right. Equius gave me a ride. Dude's a bro. Total bro.” Dave took another drink of the suspiciously bright blue liquid in his glass, and visibly swayed. 

“Uh,” said John, having noticed this too. “I'll, um, you know what, Dave? Let's sit down....” 

Karkat watched John lead Dave away gingerly. He took another taste of his beer, letting his mind wander to the miracles of brewing and fermentation, and how incredible it was that this was one of the few areas where human and troll biology overlapped. Maybe it was a sign from the universe – no matter the differences, everyone could just give up and get drunk together. 

And speaking of miracles, it was a glorious one that he could let himself relax about Gamzee. After all of the issues with his mental health before, he had finally gotten help, and the problems had... well, they hadn't gone away, but they'd become far more managable. Now Gamzee was on his way to a BFA in performance, and a few scouts had already talked to him. 

Karkat wandered the party, nursing his beer, and occasionally greeting a friend or acquaintance. Eventually, he bumped (almost literally) into Eridan. 

“Hey Kar,” said the seadweller, in his odd accent, “hawin' fun?” 

“Yeah, I guess. About as much as I can, anyway.”

“Well yeah, when you're drinkin' that swwill.”

“Fuck you, this is good enough for me.”

“Suit yourself,” Eridan shrugged. “Oh, 'scuse me a sec. Gotta change the music over.” The seadweller busied himself with the computer hooked up to the speakers, and the music changed from the rollicking hip-hop it had been to a smooth, twangy sound that wouldn't have been out of place several decades ago. 

Seeing the look Karkat was giving him, Eridan sniffed. “Hey, I got a deal wwith my brother. He buys some o' the drinks, I play some o' his music. Fair deal.”

Karkat gave this some thought, and shrugged. “I guess. At least it's good.” 

“Yeah, I'll let him know you said so.” 

“Oh, fuck no. I don't want anything to do with him. Keep my name out of it, okay?”

Eridan shrugged his agreement as he mixed himself a new drink. He offered Karkat a sip, but the other troll politely declined. Before he could take his first sip, though, his phone buzzed. Eridan quickly scanned his message. 

“Hey, you mind doin' me a solid?” he asked Karkat. 

“Sure, I guess.”

“You mind tellin' Eq that his cat-friend is on her way? Fef got her along wwith Vris and Terezi.” 

“Point me in the right direction.” 

Equius, as it turned out, was on the fringes of the party, near the door. He was currently occupied talking to Jade, though he always had a watchful eye on the entrance, and occasionally scanning the crowd. 

Jade was in the middle of discussing the project the two were supposed to be working on for their physics class. It had been lucky for them, getting a class together despite their different programs – Jade was ultimately going to pursue a degree in nuclear physics, while Equius had plans for engineering. Still, the two were doing quite well. 

Jade hugged Karkat the moment she saw him, thrilled to see her friend. Equius settled for a respectful nod. Karkat returned both before passing on his message. 

“Ah, thank you. I was beginning to worry,” said Equius. “Nepeta hasn't been answering her phone.” 

“That is pretty weird,” Jade chimed in. “But I'm glad she's okay! She seemed...” She trailed off. Both trolls raised an eyebrow at her. “What?” 

The raised eyebrow x 2 combo continued. 

“Alright, fine. All last week she seemed pretty nervous about something. Really distracted. And that's all I'm saying about it.” Jade stymied further conversation by gulping down the last of her drink. 

“So, Karkat,” Equius said, “have you decided on your future plans yet?”

Karkat just shook his head, trying to give as much of an impression of “I don't want to talk about it” as he could. 

“I realize you want to take your time and make a good decision, Karkat, but you need to make one soon.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. Nothing... nothing really seems to fit, you know?”

“I... am not sure I would.” 

“Yeah, robotics and engineering come real easy to you, don't they?”

“True. On that note, Nepeta has noted that you seem gifted at helping others with their relationship problems. Perhaps a career in counseling would be appropriate?”

Karkat gave him a noncommittal grunt. Luckily, he was saved from further embarrassment when the ladies arrived, announced by Nepeta pouncing on him and giving him a warm hug. He was too surprised to shout his customary stream of obscenities, so he settled for bearing the indignity of being tackle-hugged with grace. 

As Nepeta greeted her other two friends with equal enthusiasm, Karkat picked himself up off the floor, thanking Troll Jegus that his bottle hadn't been broken or spilled. He ignored the conversation between the moirails, instead deciding to wander off in search of the recycling bin, finishing off his beer on the way. 

Equius had a point. He did need to pick something, and soon. Well, he technically didn't, not if he had any kind of attachment to his financial aid money. He already had all his basic classes taken care of, but that didn't exactly keep him from taking more. None of that mattered, though, not if he wanted to actually get a degree in... whatever. 

The wandering troll's quest for a receptacle for his empty bottle was met with success, at which point he ambled off in the direction of the balcony. He needed some fresh air. 

The cool night air was a relief after all the heat in the house. Too many bodies, in too tight of a space. Karkat leaned out over the balcony, breathing deeply. The smell of the nearby river reminded him pleasantly of home. He was so lost in his reminiscing, in fact, that he totally failed to register that Nepeta was behind him until she actually tapped him on the shoulder.

Startled, he whirled, but relaxed when he saw that it was just her. She smiled, and he felt a tug at his bloodpusher. It could have just been his surprise at being ambushed, and that was what he'd tell himself later. The olive-blooded troll was waiting patiently for him to say something, and he found himself wondering what to say. 

“Well...” he stuttered. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said, smiling playfully. “Just looking. I thought you might be out here.” 

“And?”

She looked away. “I, um... I wanted to talk to you.”

“Fine. What about?”

“Um.” She was starting to remind him of Tavros, despite the fact that he was in veterinary school a state away. “I, um... you... your....” She coughed. “Y-you know. Your major.” 

“What about it?”

“Equius told me he told you about what I'd said.”

“Oh, yeah. Counseling.”

“Yeah! It's what I'm going to be doing, and I know almost all of the professors in the department, and I think I can help you get the right classes and everything, so-” 

“I don't know, Nepeta. Something still doesn't feel right about it.”

“Well... maybe it doesn't have to!”

“What do you mean?”

Nepeta fidgeted. “It doesn't have to be a perfect fit. It... you could grow into it. Or try something new if it doesn't work.” 

Karkat remained silent, looking away. How could he explain how he felt about it? He couldn't just pick something, because that would mean his future would be stuck. He'd be locked into a path, where he'd have to actually start working for something. He'd... he'd have to move forward.

It was terrifying. 

“Karkitty?” Nepeta was looking at him. He'd been staring at the floor for over five minutes, trying to disentangle the knot of emotions in his chest.

“God damn it, Nepeta, I told you not to call me that.”

“Karkat,” she said, more firmly now. She'd stepped forward, and he found himself leaning back on the railing. 

“What?”

“I know how you feel. You're scared.”

“No, fuck that, I'm not scared. I have no reason to be scared! It's not like I have to pick a career path and hope I don't completely fuck it up beyond all reason AND get a job without starving first. It's not like I'm going to be choosing my own fate and I'll have nobody to blame but myself if it all goes to whipping bug-winged shit. It's not like-”

“You'd be all alone.”

Karkat stopped, not sure he'd heard her right. After doing a mental double-take to ensure that yes, he had heard her correctly, he realized she'd hit the nail on the head. Despite all of his friends here, despite everything going well enough so far... he was alone. Isolated. He couldn't charge ahead, because he had no one to charge with. 

“Karkat?” Nepeta asked, interrupting his second reverie in ten minutes. 

“Yeah?”

Suddenly, the olive-blood was leaning into him, her arms reaching up around his shoulders – one hand spread across his back, the other gently cupping the back of his head and pulling him into a passionate kiss. She felt warm, so warm, and if he didn't need to keep himself supported against the railing he would have found himself pulling her closer, cupping her cheek, not letting her go. 

The kiss lasted for an eternity, and was still over too soon. As Nepeta pulled herself ever-so-slightly away, Karkat had to remind himself to breathe. 

“You don't....” Nepeta swallowed, her voice shaking. “You don't have to be alone.” 

Karkat blinked back tears. God damn it. He wished he wasn't such a fucking crybaby. But right here, right now, something felt... right. 

Nepeta pulled him into a close hug, nuzzling her cheek into his, though he had to bend down to make this possible. “It's okay,” she told him. “I'm here.”

Karkat had a dozen, two dozen, things he wanted to say. None of them seemed right, so he contented himself with being quiet, and enjoying how close she was. He had expected this night to go like every other party had gone, but this... this had been so much better.

**Author's Note:**

> This was really mostly just a personal exercise, and because I wanted a Homestuck thing under my belt before tackling bigger ideas. Still, I like thinking about what majors each character would go for if they were going to college, so it was fun to write.


End file.
